ALL, not most, of my readers know that I have given the name, “Saturday Man” to the person who writes the Saturday editorial. My job is to analyse society’s contents and my analyses of Saturday Man’s pieces have led me to the incontrovertible conclusion that Saturday Man is anti-Indian, culturally contemptuous of the people who sit in the PPP’s hierarchy and is pompously and insanely hostile to the Government of Guyana.

I would definitely conclude that Saturday Man has more anti-PPP blood in his vein (he is a man; I know who he is; he is a Mulatto/Creole personality) than any major opposition figure in all the opposition parties.
I do not know how effective I have been in confronting Saturday Man, but I believe I have opened up a few eyes that would have fallen for the amazing fictions coming from this man overtaken by hostility to a government that is an elected democracy and is far more democratic than many of those in the West that we believe are democratic

Below is yet another rejection of Saturday man’s anti-government malignancy in which my facts are so graphic and potent that they can withstand fact-checking. Saturday Man’s commentary is titled, “Fear of Retribution.” It is a long argument that people in Guyana live in fear of the government victimising them if they speak out.

Let’s quote Saturday Man: “In Guyana, the crippling fear of retribution — a major detractor from democracy — thrives. This fear permeates every layer of society, holding Guyanese citizens hostage to the whims and agendas of those in power.” I live in Guyana and I don’t see this fear because there is a proliferation of critics like Saturday Man.

The political climate in Guyana is far freer than many democratic countries. Let’s look at the facts and it is in the enumeration facts where the hypocrisy, malignancy and hostility of the Stabroek News are laid bare. Guyana is a country where the toxic condemnations of the government are perhaps more relentless than many other countries.

The inexorability of anti-government fulminations of the two private newspapers – Kaieteur News (KN) and Stabroek News (SN) – is matched only by Fox News in the United States in this part of the world. Open these two newspapers on any given day and you have to be a barefaced liar to deny that what you see on the pages is a deluge of anti-government vocabulary.
So where is the fear? Where are the cries of victimisation of these two newspapers? On the contrary, these two newspapers dish out retribution to those who criticise them or those who support the government. Joel Bhagwandin is banned from KN. Presidential adviser, Dr. Randy Persaud, has been told by SN that letters from him criticising civil society groups will not be published.

SN chops pro-government letters by almost 70 per cent; the latest victim is the project administrator in the Office of the First Lady, Ravin Singh. Gerald Perreira, leader of the political party named Organisation For the Victory of the People, socialist party, is banned from the pages of SN. As for this columnist, SN has two descriptions of him – a PPP lapdog and a PPP hired hand. If I am hired by the PPP, I can assure readers that I am not paid and would welcome the money. I need it.
Here now is one of the biggest ironies in the history of journalism and politics in Guyana. SN is not doing well financially. Its daily circulation is 3,000. Its online paid subscription is poor because all other Guyanese newspapers are free online. There are about five free online news publications that bring daily news and these have dealt a severe blow to the income of SN.

Now brace yourself for the shock of your life. The main income of the Stabroek News comes from government placements. In some weeks, the SN makes a killing based on the issue of the day. For example, SN made dozens of millions in one week over placements of advertisement for registration for the cash grant and collection of senior citizens’ vouchers. Don’t take my word for it – go to the Sunday edition of SN and there you will see how SN is being kept alive – by government placements.

Of course, Saturday Man did not offer even one example. But look at the facts. Chris Ram does not get work from the government yet Mr. Ram is building a new head office for millions of dollars. Has the government mounted a lobby against Mr. Ram’s employers? The leader of ANUG is a medical doctor at the Georgetown Hospital. Unfortunately space prevents dozens of other examples. Saturday Man must be confronted because he is a shameless propagandist.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.